The Application Process

 
Welcome to The Valley School application process. We are thrilled to have you exploring The Valley School as an option for your family!
 
WE ARE CURRENTLY ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2024-2025 SCHOOL YEAR AT ALL GRADE LEVELS.
 
Be sure to click on the Ravenna Admit link below to start the process. It takes roughly three weeks to submit all necessary information before a decision can be given. Please keep this in mind as you start the process. 
 
The goal of the admissions process, is for us to get to know your family and your child. Along with that, we share our mission, allow you to explore our campus, and learn more about our educational approach, so you can better determine if Valley is a good fit for your family. Below are the steps that help us both learn more about each other.
  1. Complete an application (required). The Valley School is one of many Seattle area schools using Ravenna Admit for the online application process. Through Ravenna, you will be able to complete the core application as well as some supplemental forms. Some supplemental forms are shared among multiple schools. This means that you will only need to request items such as the teacher evaluation once, and they will be electronically submitted to the schools that you have applied to through Ravenna. *If you are applying for Pre-K or Kindergarten, please see note regarding age requirements at the bottom of this page.

  2. Attend a school tour. At The Valley School, we believe that a tour of our school is an important step in the application process. Once you have initiated your application in the Ravenna online system, you will see the school tour step and have the ability to sign up for a time. Please contact Lora Kolmer, Director of Admissions and Community Relations at [email protected] if you have any questions about attending a school tour.

  3. Speak with a Valley family. Valley families love to talk about their school and community experience. During The Valley School tour, you will be given a Valley ambassador brochure. This contains Valley family members who have volunteered to talk with you about their experience. We highly recommend that applicant families utilize this resource to get first hand knowledge of our school and community. 

  4. Participate in the Valley Open House. The Valley School Open House is an event that will allow you to learn more about our exceptional academic program. Our Head of School, Director of Teaching and Learning, as well as Valley Faculty and Staff, will speak about the unique details of our educational program. This event has already taken place for this admission season, but we look forward to helping you discover more about our school and community on our tour. Contact Lora Kolmer, Director of Admissions and Community Relations at [email protected] if you have questions about this event.

  5. The Valley Child Visit and child video assessments. The Child Visit step is a really fun part of the application process. Meeting our potential students is always joyful for our faculty and staff. However, we also understand that every child can have a bad day, and sometimes that bad day falls on the child visit day. To help us get the best sense of your child, for families in Pre-K and Kindergarten, we also request that you submit a video of your child completing a few tasks (these tasks are included in the Child Assessment application step). This will allow us to see each applicant in a comfortable setting, and give us a better picture of who they are as a young person. It will also help relieve some stress should your child have a complicated visit day. You'll find this final step in the online application system called Pre-K or Kindergarten Child Assessment. Students in Grades 1 through 5 will either be invited to campus in a group, or as a one/two hour individual visit on a regular school day. More communication about child visits and assessments will be distributed after the application deadline in January. 
     
*A note regarding age requirements:
Children most appropriate for our learning program will turn 4 years old by September 1 to apply for our Pre-K room, and 5 years old by September 1 to apply for our Kindergarten. Children with a birthday close to the date cutoff may be considered during the admission process. Contact Lora Kolmer ([email protected]) to explore this option.

Questions? Contact Lora Kolmer, Director of Admissions and Community Relations [email protected] for more information.

 

IMPORTANT ADMISSION DATES FOR 2023-2024:

  • Thursday, November 16, 2023: Valley Sibling Application Deadline
  • Thursday, December 14, 2023: Valley Sibling Notification Deadline
  • Thursday, January 11, 2024: Admission Application Deadline
  • Thursday, February 1, 2024: Financial Aid Deadline
  • Friday, March 22, 2024: Lower School/Middle School Decision Date
  • Friday, March 29, 2024: Lower School/Middle School Family Reply Deadline
  • April - July: ROLLING ADMISSIONS for Pre-K through 4th Grade 
 
 
THE VALLEY SCHOOL ADMISSION NON-DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT
The Valley School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, creed, age, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, family composition, gender identity, veteran’s status, disability, use of a trained service animal, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.